With a number of people either working from home or keeping up with their classes through Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic, looking for ways to decompress from a new way of life can arrive in different forms. As DJs and artists take to Instagram Live to host concerts, others aim to use the power of the literary world to re-instill hope.
That’s the case for the legendary Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton. On Wednesday (March 25), the iconic figure shared his plans to take his LeVar Burton Reads podcast to a live-streaming platform. However, to avoid lawsuits from authors for reading their work on a platform other than his podcast, Burton has returned to the drawing table.
“I’ve been busting my brain for about a week now trying to figure out how to do a live-streamed version of #LeVarBurtonReads,” he wrote. “I figured that during this difficult time I could contribute by reading aloud to folks who could use some diversion for themselves and their families.”
I’ve been busting my brain for about a week now trying to figure out how to do a live-streamed version of #LeVarBurtonReads. I figured that during this difficult time I could contribute by reading aloud to folks who could use some diversion for themselves and their families.
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) March 24, 2020
In order to avoid legal complications, I’ve gone down the rabbit hole searching through volumes of short stories in the public domain for appropriate content for families and have come up empty.
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) March 24, 2020
In the meantime if you’re an adult craving some story time, check out the podcast. https://t.co/FPEoARNWz3
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) March 24, 2020
VICE notes Burton can stay clear of legal accountability by reading public-domain books, those passages that are free for the public’s consumption. Two authors, Neil Gaiman and Sandra Boynton have given Burton permission to read their works live online, stating it’s “an honor” to have the Star Trek actor narrate their work.
For 21 seasons, Burton shared his passion for reading on the PBS show Reading Rainbow. It encouraged visiting your local library, finding joy in reading, and exercising your imagination in the form of stories. In 2016, Burton launched a Kickstarter to fund a new version of the show that would also live on mobile platforms as well as within schools through various learning tools.
“It was my mother who taught me that, by picking up a book, I could ‘go anywhere’ and ‘be anything,'” Burton said. “Ever since Reading Rainbow began in 1983, I have dedicated myself to fostering a love of reading in children, just as my mother did for me.”